Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. announced the appointment of Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever PLC, as an SMBC Group Global Advisor.

Polman served as CEO of Unilever from 2009 to 2019 and is a leading figure in the field of sustainability, promoting environmental and social initiatives through the United Nations Global Compact and numerous other organizations.

SMBC Group exchanges information with its global advisors with respect to changes in global commercial flows, trends in financial business, regional political and economic issues, while also obtaining their advice and insight on a regular basis concerning key risks and for the purposes of formulating and managing SMBC Group’s business strategies.

SMBC Group will actively utilize the recommendations and advice of Polman and other global advisors to make a concerted group effort to contribute to customers and society and to improve the quality of our businesses.